City of Dallas COVID-19 Update: May 21
 Friend — Check out the latest updates on the City of Dallas’s response to COVID-19 and some information that might be of interest to you, including details about a virtual summer reading program and a virtual job fair I will be hosting soon: Confirmed Positive Cases of COVID-19 in North Texas 8,273 in Dallas County (183 are new) & 203 deaths (7 are new) 4,803 in Tarrant County (92 are new) & 139 deaths (7 are new) (1,782 recovered) 1,188 in Denton County (27 are new) & 29 deaths (1 is new) (610 recovered) 1,118 in Collin County (28 are new) & 31 deaths (0 new) (754 recovered) 289 in Ellis County (3 are new) & 12 deaths (0 new) (240 recovered) 163 in Rockwall County (4 are new) & 11 deaths (2 are new) (108 recovered) 171 in Kaufman County (17 are new) & 1 death (0 new) (138 recovered) Hospital Reports Here are the bed and ventilator capacity statistics for today as reported by 25 hospitals in the City of Dallas: Total beds: 5,706 Beds occupied: 3,876 (68%) Total ICU beds: 828 ICU beds occupied: 560 (68%) Total ventilators: 944 Ventilators in use: 317 (34%) COVID-19 Lab Reports Below are the COVID-19 testing numbers reported by public, private, and commercial labs to the City of Dallas today: 1034 COVID-19 tests 44 positive 990 negative Testing numbers from labs to date Total tests to date by public, private, and commercial labs* 43,755 Total tests to date by Dallas County Health and Human Services 3,699 Total tests to date private labs* 40,056 Total negative tests to date* 36,504 *Numbers since March 13, 2020, the date the order requiring public and private labs in Dallas to report their COVID-19 tests went into effect. Note: these numbers DO NOT include the community-based testing site numbers since those tests are conducted in a lab not in the City of Dallas. COVID-19 Dashboard The City of Dallas has created a COVID-19 Dashboard containing data that is updated daily on COVID-19 cases, ventilator and bed capacity, lab tests, demographic information, and other critical data. Check it out by clicking on the image below. Community-Based Testing Sites The numbers reported from the three community-based testing sites for May 20 are as follows: American Airlines Center, Ellis Davis Field House, and Mobile Testing Total number of visitors today: 893 Total tested today: 870 Mobile tests at nursing homes today: 211 Total number of visitors since the sites opened: 40,717 Total number of tests since the sites opened: 35,066 Smart Summer Registration for SMART Summer, a virtual summer reading program, is now open. Read every day to earn incentives, virtual badges, and grand prizes. For more information, click here.  Hire Dallas! I am hosting Hire Dallas!, a virtual job fair on June 3 and 4 that will connect Dallas workers displaced during the COVID-19 pandemic to job opportunities. Learn more and pre-register at http://hiredallas.easyvirtualfair.com  New Initiative Recently, I announced the Mayor’s Milk Initiative — a partnership with Borden Dairy, Dallas ISD, and local faith leaders — to help those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the initiative, Borden will deliver thousands of  gallons of milk to Dallas ISD elementary schools and certain houses of worship. From there, church staff and volunteers will provide the milk for free to those in need.This is made possible because Borden, which is based in Dallas, is distributing fresh milk to nonprofits through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which is part of the Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program (CFAP). Check out CBS 11’s story on the initiative by clicking here. We’re working with Dallas ISD to finalize the distribution sites. An announcement on the locations and dates will come soon. This initiative will ease the burden on families facing hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic. And as this initiative demonstrates, Dallas will get through the pandemic’s challenges by working together, caring for one another, and helping those in need in any way possible. Mobile Testing Program The Dallas City Council unanimously approved a contract for mobile testing. This service will provide equity in the fight against this pandemic by ensuring testing access for vulnerable and underserved people who lack transportation to the COVID-19 testing sites. While this disease has pushed people away from each other physically, it should not tear people apart and deepen the divide in Dallas between the haves and have-nots. The City will pay for the contract with UrgentCare2Go using $660,000 of funds provided by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The mobile testing launched Friday, May 15. To be eligible for COVID-19 Mobile Testing, residents must: • Reside in any ZIP code in the City of Dallas; and • NOT have transportation and NOT have the means to get to a testing site. Additionally, residents must have had recent direct contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or at least one of the three symptoms listed below: • Temperature of 99.6 or higher • Cough • Shortness of breath Residents undergoing mobile testing should understand this service is for COVID-19 testing only and not for medical or life-threatening medical emergencies. The COVID-19 mobile testing appointments can be scheduled between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., 7 days a week through the UrgentCare2GO screening line by calling 1-888-601-0568. COVID-19 mobile testing appointments will be scheduled at NO COST to eligible residents during two-hour time slots with a maximum capacity of 60 appointments a day.  Thank You Thursday Just a reminder to participate in #ThankYouThursday every Thursday to show appreciation for frontline workers. Learn more and let us know you plan to participate by clicking on the image below.  Executive Order FAQs TheCity Attorney’s Office provided updated FAQs in English and Spanishtoday for the Governor’s Executive Orders and the City of Dallas Emergency Regulations. Updates from Dallas County Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 183 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 8,273, with 203 total deaths to date. Of cases requiring hospitalization who reported employment, over 80% have been critical infrastructure workers, with a broad range of affected occupational sectors, including: healthcare, transportation, food and agriculture, public works, finance, communications, clergy, first responders and other essential functions. Of cases requiring hospitalization, two-thirds have been under 65 years of age, and about half do not have high-risk chronic health conditions. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Of the 203 total deaths reported to date, over a third have been associated with long-term care facilities. Please see the latest summary report for more information (updated on 5/19). The report contains race/ethnicity information on the confirmed tests and deaths and important information comparing influenza ICU admissions and hospitalizations and COVID-19 ICU admissions and hospitalizations. Dallas County only updates the summary report on Tuesdays and Fridays. Updates from Collin County There are 28 new cases (net) of COVID-19 in Collin County today, as of 3:30 p.m. There are 333 current cases of COVID-19 in Collin County (total cases minus recovered and deceased). There have been 1,118 total confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Collin County. 754 people have successfully recovered; 16 are hospitalized; 317 remain in home isolation. There have been 31 confirmed deaths associated with COVID-19 in Collin County. There have been 14,945 negative COVID-19 tests in Collin County. There are 1,910 Persons Under Monitoring (PUM) in Collin County. Updates from Denton County Denton County Public Health (DCPH) has announced one additional Denton County community member has died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the total to 29 deaths due to COVID-19 in Denton County. The death reported today was a previously reported hospitalized female in her 70s who was a resident of Denton Rehabilitation Center in Denton, Texas. DCPH is also announcing 27 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County. This increases the cumulative, countywide total to 1,188 confirmed COVID-19 cases. DCPH is also announcing 18 newly recovered COVID-19 cases within the county. Additional details regarding DCPH’s drive-thru COVID-19 testing centers can be found at DentonCounty.gov/COVID19testing. Visit DentonCounty.gov/COVIDstats for local COVID-19 data including interactive heat maps, charts, and city and zip code data. Visit DentonCounty.gov/COVID19 for COVID-19 health and safety information. Updates from the State Governor Greg Abbott has announced the second phase of the State of Texas’ ongoing plan to open Texas. Under Phase II, restaurants may increase their occupancy to 50% and additional services and activities that remained closed under Phase I may open with restricted occupancy levels and minimum standard health protocols laid out by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). You can read the executive order by clicking on the image below. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced more than $3M in federal funding to provide shelter and services to survivors of family and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. This federal funding will support the 78 HHSC-funded local family violence centers that provide survivors with immediate shelter, supportive services, and access to community-based programs. Governor Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation extending his Disaster Declaration for all Texas counties in response to COVID-19. Originally issued on March 13 and extended on April 12, the Disaster Declaration provides the state a number of resources to effectively serve Texans as the Lone Star State continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. For more details, please visit Governor Abbott’s website. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has announced the launch of a statewide pilot program allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to purchase groceries online at participating retailers for curbside pickup or delivery starting Wednesday. Check here for more details about the program. Walmart Drive-Thru Testing Site Walmart has opened four additional COVID-19 drive-thru sites in Dallas County. One of these new sites is located in the City of Dallas at 15757 Coit Rd. Walmart continues to maintain operations at a previously opened drive-thru site located at 9410 Webb Chapel Rd. Appoinments must be made at www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com, which will screen individuals to ensure they meet CDC eligibility for testing. For questions regarding testing, you can call 800-635-8611. Those being tested will need to wear a mask or cloth covering and stay in their cars for verification of eligibility criteria, ID check, and self-administered test. The site will use a self-administered nasal swab test that will allow those being tested to swab their own nose onsite while in their vehicles. Please note: testing is not available inside Walmart stores. For more information, please check out the article about the site by clicking on the image below. Kroger Health Testing Site Kroger Health is now offering a free COVID-19 testing site in South Dallas and expects to perform over 1,000 tests weekly. Residents can check if they are eligible for testing and register at https://www.krogerhealth.com/covidtesting. Eligible residents will be able to choose an appointment time online and will then receive an email confirmation. When the resident arrives for their test, they should have their photo ID ready and should leave their window rolled up for check-in until a health care practitioner comes to the car to provide the patient with the test. For more information, please see the press release in English and Spanish and click on the image below. Walgreens Testing Site Walgreens opened a drive-thru testing site in southern Dallas at 2060 South Buckner Boulevard. Pre-registration is required to get tested at this location. To receive a test, individuals must first complete an online health assessment to determine eligibility. After the test, patients will be informed of results within 24 hours. To find out more information and to sign up to get tested, click on the image below. COVID-19 Resource Hotline The City of Dallas has launched a COVID-19 resource hotline. The hotline offers information in Spanish and English 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number is 214-670-INFO (4636). You can also find a breakdown of additional resources by clicking on the image below. Dallas Regional Chamber Resources The Dallas Regional Chamber has set up a site for additional resources for residents and businesses, including information on various state and federal programs. Check out their resource guide here and their site to connect displaced workers to employment opportunities during the pandemic by clicking on the image below. United Way Resource Guides United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has put together a list of resources available to Dallas area residents in English and Spanish. Resources include the North Texas Food Bank’s open food pantries, tax filing information, and job opportunities. Senior Source Resources This is the link to the Senior Source’s COVID-19 resource guide. The guide includes information for seniors, including information on specific grocery store hours dedicated to seniors, and guidance for those who are caring for seniors during the pandemic. If you have more questions about COVID-19, including what you should do if you believe you might have the virus, check out the City’s web page, www.DallasCityHall.com/coronavirus. Please share this update. The official page to sign up to receive this newsletter is here. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reply to this email or call (214) 670-3301. Sincerely, Office of Mayor Eric Johnson 1500 Marilla Street, 5EN Dallas, Texas 75201 |